Linden Gaydosh drafted

It was a celebratory day on Monday for Peace River native Linden Gaydosh – one that he’ll never forget.

The 6-foot-3, 314-lb defensive lineman, who played four seasons with the University of Calgary Dinos football team, was snatched up first overall in the Canadian Football League draft by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“It’s unbelievable. All the hard work from the past couple of years has come up until this point and they’re (Tiger-Cats) giving me the opportunity to make my dreams come true right now,” Gaydosh told the Record-Gazette by phone from his home in Peace River, only a few hours after being drafted.

“It felt like there was a weight lifted off my shoulders. There was all the talk about it, but now it finally happened.”

Although it was 10 a.m. Alberta time for the 12 p.m. eastern-time draft, the 22 year-old cracked open celebratory beers after hearing his named called.

“They’re probably the best beers I’ve ever had,” he told reporters on a teleconference.

Gaydosh, a former Peace River High School student, who was ranked third overall by the CFL Scouting Bureau and regarded as the top defensive lineman available heading into the draft, says he had a feeling he would hear his name called early on.

“I kind of knew I was going to be a high first round pick, but first, I didn’t really know. Obviously I wanted to be it and I’m happy that I am but going into it I was a bit worried about it as well,” he said.

The highly touted prospect impressed at the CFL combine on March 23-24 in Toronto, through a series of fitness exercises and drills in front of CFL scouts, coaches and managers.

Gaydosh had 36 reps on the bench press and dominated offensive linemen during the one-on-one drills.

“The CFL combine was great. It was a weekend there; it was a lot of fun. I showed what I was able to do, how much work I put in behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t see and I probably had the best football day I could ever have. That got me up until this point today to get me drafted number one,” he said.

Following the combine, Kent Austin, Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach and GM, who would eventually draft Gaydosh, told QMI Agency how impressed he was with Gaydosh’s outing.

“Big, strong, he’s powerful. He has really good feet and movement skills for his size. He’s got tight feet. He’s a good football player,” Austin said.

Prior to the NFL draft on April 25-27 and the free agency that followed, there was some chatter that Gaydosh may join a squad south of the border, but it didn’t happen.

“I really didn’t get too fired up for the NFL draft or the free agency. I knew it was a long shot to begin with and I would have been grateful if it happened, but it didn’t. So, now I’m ready to turn my focus to the CFL,” Gaydosh said.

Gaydosh had 12 tackles, two and a half tackles for a loss and a sack last season for the Dinos and was named a Canada West all-star for the second straight year. He was a second-team All-Canadian in 2011.

Over the last four years with the Dinos, Gaydosh has recorded 90.5 tackles, seven quarterback sacks and 14 tackles for a loss while starting all but one game on the defensive line.

“They were great. They were the best years of my life, I wouldn’t take them away for the world,” Gaydosh said about his collegiate career with the Dinos.

Dinos Head coach Blake Nill and his football program produced five draft picks during Monday’s CFL Draft, including three of the top five selections in the first round.

“Here’s a kid who comes in at 340 pounds, out of Peace River — out from the trees — and I can remember him saying ‘I just want to be a farmer and a pro-football player,’ “ Nill told QMI Agency. “And that’s his attitude.”

Gaydosh, who feels that he is ready for the CFL, says he needs to impress at the Tiger-Cats training camp.

“I feel that I am, but at the end of the day it’s not my decision. That decision’s going to have to be made by the Tiger-Cats coaches.

“I got to go into training camp, I have to prove to them first that I’m ready to play before they even get me that opportunity,” he said.

Before training camp, Gaydosh says he will be returning to Calgary to prepare himself for his new team’s training camp.

“I always feel like I could be bigger, faster and stronger. I feel mostly like I could work on my pass rush a little bit more so I can get to the quarterback,” he said.

So what should Tiger-Cats fans expect when he takes to the field?

“They should expect a physical run-stopper in the middle that can occasionally get to the quarterback with a couple nice pass rushes,” Gaydosh said.

For the time being, Gaydosh will relish the memorable moment with family and friends here in Peace River.

“When I started to playing, I had the dreams of making it to this point, but now that it’s finally happened, it’s a great feeling,” Gaydosh concluded.

The Tiger-Cats had a 6-12 record last season. It’s last CFL Grey Cup championship was in 1999.